Wire-stretcher



(No.Model.)

' J. P. LANDERS. Wire Stretcher.

Patented March 22,1881.

UNITED STATES PATENT 1 OFFICE JOHN F. LANDERS, OF AUBURN, ASSIGNOE TO WASHBURN & MOEN MANU- FAGTURING COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

Wl RE-STRE TCHER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 239,103, dated March 22, 1881.

Application filed January 15, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. LANDERS, of Auburn; in the county of Worcester and Com-' monwealth of Massachusetts, have invented] ings, forming a part of this specification,-and

in which-- Figure 1 represents a top or plan vieyv of oneof my aforesai d wire-stretchers when applied to an ordinary fence-post or telegraph-pole, as

r 5 will be hereinafter more fully set forth. Fig. 2 represents an end view of the device, looking in the direction indicated by arrow a, Fig. 1, the post or pole represented in said Fig. 1 not being shown in this instance; and Figs. 3 and 4 represent different views of a portion of the device, which will be hereinafter more fully described, Fig. 3 representing a side view of athreaded bearing-hub, and Fig. 4 a vertical section through the same, taken on line A B of said Fig. 3.

My invention is designed to be used principally for stretching what is known as barb feneewire in the operation of securing the same upon a line of posts, as hereinafter de- 0 scribed; but it may also be used for stretching telegraph or, other wires with equal facility and as good results.

It consists in a device which may be so constructed and arranged as to be easily and 5 quickly adjusted and secured, by lneans'of a forked arm or lever, to the side of an ordinary fence-post or telegraph-pole, and then operated so as to draw the wire taut by turning an arbor which is provided with a handle and 0 threads and arranged in suitable bearings, thereby coiling a rope around the same, which is secured at one endto said arbor, and provided at its other outer end with a clamping device which gripes theend of the wire when 5 the latter is placed between the jaws of the .de-

vice and drawn forward, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to which myinvention helon gs to make and use the same,

" 1 will proceed to describe it more in detail.

In the drawings, 12 represents an ordinary fence-post in section, and 0 a forked armor grappling-iron, which is hinged, at d, to the frameworks of the stretcher, and by means of which forked arm the whole device is secured to post I) by driving the pointed endf of the same into the post, as represented by dotted lines in Fig. l. -The side g of frames is in practice curved to fit the surface of an ordinary-sized fence:,post; but it may be employed upon a larger or smaller post than tli usual size.

The parth represents an arbor orshaft, which is provided with threads 1', a handle, is, and with grooves l 1, formed longitudinallyon opposite sides of the smooth part m of shaft h, as represented by dotted and full lines, Figs. 1 and 2. Threads 2' are for the purpose of turning shaft h in or out by means of its handle it, by said shaft passing through a stationary 7o threaded hub, 12, which is also provided with threads upon its inner side, represented in' Fig. 4. The part m of shaft h is supported and slides back and forth in a hub or bearing,o, also formed upon frame 6.

To the outer end of the threaded part of shaft h, near handle 70, is secured one end of a rope or chain, g, by means of which, and a clamping device, 1", secured to its outer end, the

wire is drawn forward taut, so as to be secured 8o,

in that condition to the fence-posts.

Clamping device 1" consists of -an oblong part or link-piece, 8, provided at one end with a hole, 2?, for securing the outer end of rope q to the same, and at the other end with a hub, to, which forms one jaw, and a circular cam or eccentric piece, 2;, pivoted at'w, and provided with a handle, 00, which forms the other jaw of the device. In securing the end of the wire in said device, the handle is first swung out so as to open the jaws, when the wire is then inserted between them and the handle 00 swung back again, as represented in Fig. 1 of the drawings, thereby griping the wire, and as it is drawn forward the strain upon the cam 5 part 22 causes the latter to gripe the wire still tighter, and effectually prevents its drawing out as the device is drawn forward by coiling the rope q upon shaft h, as represented in Fi 1. Shaft h is prevented from turningback, as rope q is coiled upon the same, by means of a ratchetwheel, 3 pawls y and M, which are lowed to slide back and forth in bearing 0, as

well as prevented from turning back. Pawl.

3 which is provided with a hook upon its outer end for catching and holding against the teeth of ratchet -wheel 3 prevents the shaft from turning back when the stretcher is applied to I a post upon the side represented in Fig.1; and

pawl y is for preventingits turning back when it is secured upon the opposite side of the post. Therefore the stretcher may be used for producing a tension upon the wire, either to the right or left of the line'of posts, with equal facility.

The operation of securing a strip of barb fence-wire to a line of fence-posts, which in practice are placed about sixteen feet apart, is

as follows: The wire is first uneoiled from the :spool or reel and laid along the ground by the side of the posts, and one end securely fastened to the post coming nearest to that point, after which the stretcher is then grappled or secured to a post at a suitable distance from the fastened end of the wire upon the proper side to pull said wire taut. The rope q of the stretcher is the n uncoiled from shaft It (if it has not already been done) to its full extent, which in practice is about three feet, and shaft It turned up as far as possible toward hub 19 by means of handle k. The attendant now takes hold of the Wire and draws it as taut as possible by hand, and inserts it between theja-ws a o of the clamping device. He then swings handle as around, so as to gripe the wire, as before described, when the stretcher and wire are then in proper position to apply the tension to the latter. The attendant now takes hold of handle k and turns shaft h, so as to move it forward from post I), which operation coils the rope q about said shaft h, from where it is secured near handle is, toward the post in an even and regular manner, one coil against another, as represented in Fig. 1 of the drawin gs, and is prevented from uncoiling by pawl y or 2 as the case may be, in the manner before described. The proper tension having been applied to the wire, it is then secured, by means of suitable staples, to all the intermediate posts between where it was first secured, and the stretcher, after which the stretcher is then removed by hammering upon the part c of forked arm or grapple c, and the operation hereinbefore described repeated.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a very strong and effective stretcher is produced, and by keeping the strain. upon the same close to the post to which it is secured, as described, it may be made lighter than stretchers are usually made for the same purpose, and with better results.

Having described my improvements in fence andtelegraph wire stretchers, what I claim therein as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of frame part 0, provided with grappling-arm c, and bearings 0 and p, shaft It, provided with threads 2', part m, grooves Z Z, and handle it, ratchetwheel 3 provided with projections zapawls g) 1 rope q. and clamping device r, all constructed and combined to operate substantially as shown and described, for the purpose specified.

JOHN F. LANDERS.

\Vitnesses:

CHARLES L. BEDDING, ALBERT A. BARKER. 

